The Search for Spices Why did Europeans cross the seas? 1 The Search for Spices Why did Europeans cross the seas? How did Portugal’s eastward explorations lead to the development of a trading empire? How did Columbus's voyages affect the search for a passage to the Indies?

Why Did Europeans Cross the Seas? 1 As Europe’s population recovered from the Black Death, the demand for trade goods grew. Europeans wanted spices. European merchants wanted to gain direct access to the riches of Asia. Some voyagers still wanted to crusade against the Muslims. Others were inspired by the Renaissance spirit to learn about distant lands.

Early Voyages of European Exploration, 1487–1609

Portugal’s Voyages to the East 1 By the 1400s, Portugal had expanded into Muslim North Africa. Henry the Navigator sent ships to explore the western coast of Africa. In 1488, Bartholomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa, later called the Cape of Good Hope. In 1497, Vasco da Gama reached the spice port of Calicut in India. In 1502, da Gama forced a treaty on Calicut. The Portuguese seized key ports around the Indian Ocean to create a vast trading empire.

Columbus’s Voyages to the West 1 Backed by Spain, Christopher Columbus tried to reach the Indies, in Southeast Asia, by sailing west across the Atlantic. Columbus believed that the land that he reached was the Indies. He had found a route to continents previously unknown to Europeans. These lands later became known as the West Indies.

Exploring the Americas 1 Exploring the Americas Europeans continued to seek new routes around or through the Americas. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa discovered a passage through Panama to an ocean which he called the South Sea. Spanish explorers claim Florida, Mexico and Southwest America for Spain

Balboa saw Pacific Ocean by crossing Panama

Ponce de Leon explored Florida

Magellan Ferdinand Magellan charted a passage around the southern tip of South America and gave the Pacific Ocean its name. His crew became the first people to circumnavigate, or sail around, the world.

Ferdinand Magellan

Francisco Coronado Coronado Butte in Grand Canyon

Hernando De Soto

Spanish Fort in St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine Fort

Explorers for Great Britain John Cabot discovered Newfoundland in his unsuccessful quest to find a Northwest passage to Asia. Henry Hudson explored what would become known as the Hudson River. Explorers for France Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River. Samuel de Champlain claims Quebec Marquette, Joliet, and La Salle explore the Mississippi river.

Jacques Marquette Louis Joliet

La Salle explored the Great Lakes and discovered mouth of the Mississippi River

English sailor Henry Hudson claimed New York for the Dutch

Canada

John Cabot

1 Section 1 Assessment Who was the first European explorer to sail around the southern tip of Africa? a) Ferdinand Magellan b) Bartholomeu Dias c) Vasco da Gama d) Jacques Cartier Christopher Columbus set out to a) reach the Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic. b) reach the Americas by sailing west across the Atlantic. c) reach the Indies by sailing east around the southern tip of Africa. d) reach the Americas by sailing east around the southern tip of Africa.

1 Section 1 Assessment Who was the first European explorer to sail around the southern tip of Africa? a) Ferdinand Magellan b) Bartholomeu Dias c) Vasco da Gama d) Jacques Cartier Christopher Columbus set out to a) reach the Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic. b) reach the Americas by sailing west across the Atlantic. c) reach the Indies by sailing east around the southern tip of Africa. d) reach the Americas by sailing east around the southern tip of Africa.